Foot scraper attachment for automobiles



D Apnl 26, 1960 M. T. J. M. sco-r'r 2,933,750

FOOT SCRAPER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Feb. 15, 1959 INVENTOR. MAE/E 7T -7 M-SCOTT W m/m United States Patent O F OOT SCRAPER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES This invention relates generally to foot scrapers, designed to facilitate the removal of mud and dirt from ones shoes. More particularly, the invention has reference to a foot scraper attachment, designed to be detachably secured to an automobile, in a position in which the foot scraper can beconveniently used by one about to enter the vehicle.

Although foot scraper attachments for automobiles are broadly old, the present invention has as its main object the provision of a generally improved device of this kind, designed specifically for attachment to vehicles having jack sockets. j I

Certainvehicles presently on the market, in particular small vehicles manufactured outside the United States, are equipped with jack sockets, disposed below the running boards of the vehicle. These are designed to receive components of mating jack devices, so that a particular jack mating with a socket of the character described can be readily engaged therewith to permit the jacking up of the vehicle.

Of course, said sockets are not in use except during the actual jacking operation, which occurs with obvious infrequency. In the, intervening periods between uses, sockets of this type tend to become clogged with dirt and mud, so that it is usually required that one clean out the socket before it can receive the associated jack component. Obviously, this is an annoying and time-consuming chore. a r ,7

It is accordingly proposed, incarrying out the present invention, to provide a foot scraper attachment which will berdesigned to mate with a jack socket of the type described, so that said attachment'will be conveniently located, for use by one entering the vehicle. In this way, tidy habits are formed by the vehicle users, which have the desirable result of keeping the vehicle interior cleaner than is true of situations in which foot scraper attachments are not provided.

the jack socket. In this way, the jack socket will be substantially completely plugged by the foot scraper device 2,933,756 Patented Apr. 26, 1960 ice Yet another object is to provide a foot scraper attachment of the character stated which will be in an out-of: the-way location, so as to insure against its being accidentally struck by a person or vehicle, with the attachment nevertheless being disposed in a position in which it is conveniently usable, all without requirement of movement of the foot scraper attachment to different adjusted positions such as have been necessary in connection with prior art devices of the same general type.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

'foot scraper attachment remaining in elevation;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2 in which the attachment is illustrated in top plan; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the attachment per se. Referring to the drawing in detail, generally designated -at 10 is the body of a small, foreign-made automobile of a type equipped with running boards 12, and with laterally outwardly facing jack sockets 14 welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the undersides of the running boards.

As will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, the jack socket 14, which is a'conventional component of the vehicle, comprises a relatively short tube of rectangular cross section, formed-open at both ends, and afiixed by welds 15 to the underside'of running board 12 in close proximity'to the outside longitudinal edge of the running board; The foot scraper attachment 16 comprising the present invention includes a short plug element 18, in the form of a'bar of rectangular cross section the length of which is approximately equal to the length of the socket 14. Bar 18 comprises a male member, insertable removably in the female member constituted by the socket 14, and due to the mating arrangement of the male and female members, the element 13 substantially completely fills .or plugs the socket, while being held against rotatable ,movement by the socket.

Designated at 20 are opposite but identicalside clips,

' each of which is formed with a slightly springable ma- .terial. The side clips have proximal inner end portions 7 g 22, welded, as at 23, to the opposite side surfaces of the I It is'further proposed, by reason of thefparticular construction of the foot scraper attachment, to. cause it to discharge efliciently a plugging function with respect to :that whenever. the foot scraper attachment is removed to jpermit insertion ofa jack component, the jack-socket will be completely clean, ready to receive said component. Another object is to so form the foot scraper as to provide a coactive relationship between'the plugging element and adjacent clip elements secured thereto, such that the plugging and clip elements will cooperate in effectively gripping the jack socket.

Another object is to so design the device that it will coact with the jack socket in holding a scraper arm of the device against movementfrom itsproper position.

Another object is to so design the scraper arm as to cause it to discharge its intended function with maximum efiiciency.

Iplug element 18, at the outer extremity ofrthe plug ele- 60 ment.

outwardly short distances from the respective side sur- The proximal end portions 22 project laterally faces of the plugelement, asshown in Figures 3 and 4, the extent of projection being slightly greater than the -thicknessof the side Walls of the socket 14 (see Figure 3).

Clips 20 have distal end portions 24, which are turned outwardly to a slight extent to facilitate resilent springing of the distal end portions outwardly from the plug element to receive the side walls of the socket 14. Normally, the distal end portions are disposed in contact with or in closely spaced relation to the opposite side surfaces of the plug element 18.

It will be apparent that on shifting of the plug element 18 in the direction of its length, toward the left in Figures 2 and 3, the inner end 25 of the plug element will enter the outer end of the socket. Further longitudinal movement of the plug element will cause the same to move ultimately to its position shown in Figures 2 and 3, in which it is fully engaged with the socket 14. At this time, the clips '20 will have been resiliently forced outwardly from the side surfaces of the plug element, so as to cause the side walls of the socket to be firmly gripped between the plug element and the clips.

If one should so desire, the plug element might be permanently magnetized, tofurther aid in the retention of the same within the socket 14.

Generally designated at26 is a scraper arm, of obtusely angular, elongate form, having a proximal leg 28 secured by spot welds 31] or equivalent means to the outer end surface 29 of the plug element. The proximal leg extends downwardly from the plug element 18, at a slight inclination fromthe vertical, and at its lower end merges into the distal leg 32 of the scraper bar. The distal leg extends substantially horizontally, and has a blade-like top edge 34 which may be formed over its full length with small recesses 36 producing along the sharpened scraping edge 34 a serrated or scalloped formation. The scraper bar (see Figures 2 and 3) is disposed fully in a vertical plane perpendicularly intersecting the length of the plug element 18.

In use, the device is. simply inserted in the socket 14,

and the act of insertion will cause the same to firmly grip the walls of the socket, in position ready for use. The attachment is disposed below the running board, without projecting in any way beyond the running board. As a result, the device will not be a hazard to other persons or vehicles, during the normal use of the vehicle on which the scraper attachment is mounted. Yet, the scraper bar is conveniently disposed, ready for use by one entering the vehicle.

Itis also to be noted that whenever it is necessary to jack up the vehicle, one need merely remove the device from the socket, as a result of which the socket will be found to be in a clean state, ready for insertion of the mating jack component. 7

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination, with an elongated vehicle jack socket at least one end of which opens in a generally being of a rectangular cross section mating with'that of horizontal direction, said socket being of a non-circular cross section, of a foot scraper comprising: a plug element removably'engaged in said socket over substantially the full length of the socket and having a cross sectional configuration mating with that of the socket, said element projecting slightly beyond said open end of the socket; and a scraper bar secured to the projecting part of said element;

2. The combination, with a vehicle jack socket at least one end of which opens in a generally horizontal direction, 7

the plug element, the bar projecting at one end through the open end of the socket; and a scraper bar secured to the projecting end of the bar, said scraper bar being disposed fully in a plane perpendicular to the length of the plug element. I

4. The combination, with a vehicle jack socket at least one end of which opens in a generally horizontal direction, said socket being of rectangular cross section, of a foot scraper comprising: a plug element removably engaged in said socket and formed as a bar the length of which is substantially equal to the length of the socket, said bar being of a rectangular cross section mating with that of the plug element, the bar projecting at one end through the open end of the socket; and a scraper bar secured to the projecting end of the bar, said scraper bar being disposed fully in a plane perpendicular to the length of the plug element, the scraper bar being of angular formation, and having a proximal end portion fixedly secured to and extending downwardly from the plug element, said scraper bar including a distal end portion projecting substantially horizontally from the lower end of the proximal end portion thereof. 5; The combination, with a vehicle jack socket at least one end'of which opens in a generally horizontal direction, said socket being of rectangular cross section, of a foot scraper comprising: a plug element removably engaged in said socket and formed as a bar the length of which is substantially equal to the length of the socket,

said bar being of a rectangular cross section mating with that of the plug element opening in a generally horizontal direction, the bar projecting at one end through the open end of the socket; and a scraper bar secured to the projecting end of the bar, said scraper bar being disposed fully in a plane perpendicular to the length of the plug element, the scraper bar being of angular formation, and having a proximal end portion fixedly secured to and extending downwardly from the plug element, said scraper bar including a distal end portion projecting substantially horizontally from the lower end of the proximal end portion thereof, the distal end portion of the scraper bar having a sharpened top edge formed with a series of recesses extending along at least one side of the sharpened edge, to provide a scalloped formation along said one side of the sharpened edge.

6. The combination, with a vehicle jack socket, of a foot scraper comprising: a plug element removably engaged in said socket; a scraper bar secured to said element; and clips secured to opposite sides of the plug element and adapted to cooperate with the plug element in gripping corresponding, opposite sides of the socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,017,096 Harris Feb. 13, 1912 1,437,794 Cleveland Dec. 5, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS 165,777 Australia Oct. 12, 1953 

